Who: Movie buffs and red carpet fashionistas
What: Oscar Parties 2010
Where: The Hotel Ivy and the graves 601 | hotel
When: Sunday, March 7, 2010   
Why: To watch the biggest night in Hollywood in style

I should start this post by disclosing that I don’t really do Oscar parties. My usual awards show attire has a pinot grigio-stained t-shirt as its centerpiece, and I’m more comfortable schmoozing with the taco dip than the Glitterati. But I’m always down for a good cause, so I gamely zipped up my LBD and hit the Hotel Ivy with my plus one for the Oscar Night bash benefiting the Aegis Foundation and Smile Network.

The prevailing dress code was Hollywood glam, often with an irreverent twist. Attire ranged from blue jeans to black tie; vintage frocks and creative interpretations of the classic tuxedo were everywhere. MyTalk107.1’s Lori Barghini and Julia Cobbs greeted guests on the lobby’s red carpet, glammed up in rich Na’vi blue Monique Lhuillier gowns.

Guests rode the elevator to the hotel’s third floor, where they spread out through the party’s multiple rooms. TV screens were omnipresent, so one could keep appraised of the style, speeches, and surprises even when standing in line at the bar. Cheery bartenders served up Surly brews and “Oscar” cosmos, and waiters swooped on tables to offer crowd-pleasing h’ors d’oeuvres. The silent auction featured a variety of global goods, local services, food, wine, and, most impressively, a line of framed John Lennon art pieces. 

In between the red carpet and the awards show proper, we heard a heartfelt speech from Janet Bystrom with Reclaim, an organization that provides counseling to LGBT youth in crisis. Smile Network’s Kim Valentini followed up with a short statement and a screening of a KSTP segment from one of the agency’s surgical trips to Peru.

There was plenty of mingling, but most of the guests were there to watch the show. An Oscar prediction contest ensured that even the most obscure categories garnered reactions. And when Up won Best Animated Feature, we all cheered for Pete Docter, local boy made good.

Meanwhile, just blocks away, our very own Party Patrol partner-in-crime Erin Gulden was the red carpet correspondent at the graves 601 | hotel Oscar party, which hosted a four-course VIP dinner, celebrity look alike contest, and paparazzi pics by Mike Feltault at the oh-so chic Cosmos. Here’s the video: